Israel has never been alone. There have always been friends of the Jewish State. However, the enemies have always been greater and more powerful. But, at critical times, those that stand with Israel are the ones that truly matter. Many of those that have stood with Israel in their time of need have been driven by their connection to the Bible. Others were driven by the importance that they ascribed to a strong State of Israel as a beacon of democracy and freedom in the Middle East.
US Leaders Who Have Stood With Israel
There are two past Presidents of the United States who made it clear where they stand during Israel’s time of need. One was a Democrat and one was a Republican. The Democrat was one of the greatest Presidents in the history of the United States, Harry S. Truman. Truman represented all of the positive side of the liberal policies of the Democratic party. He was driven by a deep sense of honesty. He couple this with a strong religious background that framed all decisions he made. He seemingly came out of nowhere into the Senate, and a mere few years later, he ended up being the unexpected Vice Presidential Candidate in the elections of 1944. FDR was an ailing President, but very few knew how serious the deterioration of his health was. In actuality, the decision to nominate Harry Truman to be Vice President was a decision as to who would replace FDR. Indeed, a few months later, FDR passed away, and Harry Truman took over the reigns at one of the most momentous times in the history of the United States. The world had been through the most destructive time in modern history – perhaps in all history. Yet it wasn’t over. Truman made the fateful decision to drop the bomb. Truman made the decisions as to how to handle the beginnings of what would become known as the Cold War with the Soviet Union. But Truman also found the time to stand up to a hostile State Department and support the formation of the State of Israel. He had opposition from the highest levels of government – especially from Secretary Marshall. But he used his honesty and religious beliefs as his guide and made the fateful decision to support the formation of the State of Israel. This was not his most well-known decision, but the State of Israel will never forget him for that. There is a town in Israel called Kfar Truman after President Truman.
The other President that stood with Israel in their time of need was Richard Nixon. He was not known for being a Jew-lover. There are tapes that are now public that hear him speaking of Jews in a derogatory manner. But his opinions on the State of Israel and his stance became crystal clear in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Israel was caught unprepared and paid heavily with the deaths of 2,300+ soldiers, and many more wounded. It was unclear in the first 2-3 days of the war if Israel could sustain the barrage and attacks from Egypt and Syria simultaneously. The knowledge that Richard Nixon was sending urgent supplies in order to enable the Israeli Army to keep fighting back was critical. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir did not feel alone and Israel knew they could rely on the United States at her time of need. It is doubtful that religious reasons were behind the support of Richard Nixon. But, he will also always be remembered as a friend of the State of Israel.